When a Demon Comes to Call
by cywscross
Summary: Tsuna met him when he was eight and surrounded by scary people with guns. The-man-who-probably-wasn't-a-man had brown hair like his own with eyes like fire and two long feathery black wings. "Do you want to live?" The angel-man asked. Tsuna was Dame and bullied, stupid and friendless, and forever struggling to keep his head above water if only for his mom – but he whispered, "Yes."
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

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**General Warnings:** Dimension travel, supernatural, AU, language, violence.

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**Summary:** Tsuna met him when he was eight and surrounded by scary people with guns. The-man-who-probably-wasn't-a-man had brown hair like his own with eyes like fire and two long feathery black wings. "Do you want to live?" The angel-man asked. Tsuna was Dame and bullied, stupid and friendless, and forever struggling to keep his head above water if only for his mom – but he whispered, "Yes."

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**Chapter 1**

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_Tsuna ran._

_ He ran and ran and tried not to trip as he scurried away from the bullies on his tail. He'd already gotten shoved around yesterday and the day before that and several times last week – he didn't want anything more to happen to him before his scrapes and bruises healed._

_ His heart lifted when he slipped around a corner and caught sight of a rundown building up ahead. He could hide in there! He had managed to lose the bullies after taking a shortcut through a few alleys so he could hide for now and wait until he was sure they had given up._

_ Panting, he kept his eyes glued on the building, only to run headlong into someone who suddenly stepped out from behind a tree, knocking him clean off his feet and onto the ground with a painful thud._

_ Fearfully, he peered up, freezing when he found a man with a hard expression staring back at him. One of the man's hands was in his coat pocket._

_ And then, before Tsuna could even blink, there were five more men around him, all wearing black suits and ties, all of them scary and glaring, and all of them pulling out-_

_ Guns?_

_ He managed a terrified shriek and tried to scoot back but there was nowhere to run even if he could get to his feet. "Wh- What do y- you want? I- I don't h- have any m- money!"_

_ One of the men snapped something to the others in a language Tsuna didn't understand, and then they were all arguing, waving their weapons at him. Most of them looked doubtful and angry but the one who looked to be the leader said something sharp and pointed – one of the words sounded like "Primo" – and the others calmed and turned back to Tsuna again._

_ "Sorry, boy," The leader said, this time in accented Japanese and not looking sorry at all. "Nothing personal. Our boss just needs you out of the way."_

_ And then Tsuna was staring down the barrel of a gun, and he could barely breathe as he shrank back, tears welling up in his eyes. "W- Why? D- Did I do s- something wr- wrong? I- I'm s- sorry! I- I-"_

_ No more words would come as he heard a click and the scary man stepped forward, gun pointed at Tsuna._

_ And Tsuna thought of his mother who'd never see him again._

_ But did that matter? His mom would be better off without an idiot son who couldn't do anything right, and Tsuna wouldn't have to get hurt and run from bullies and bring home grades that only let down his mom-_

_ Another step and Tsuna squeezed his eyes shut, feeling salty tears streak down his face, and hoped it wouldn't hurt too badly. He flinched when a loud bang rang out, but-_

_ But there was no pain._

_ Loud shouts made him blink, carefully uncurling from the floor. His mouth dropped open when he spotted the figure standing in front of him._

_ Long, long black wings, the tips almost brushing the ground, were the first things Tsuna saw, feathery like a bird's, but they were attached to a brown-haired man's back instead._

_ The man-who-probably-wasn't-a-man was holding one hand out in front of Tsuna, and it took him a moment to realize that the stranger had _caught_ the bullet aimed at him between two fingers._

_ Tsuna cringed when more shots were fired, but even as his entire body shook from panic, he could at least push himself up into a sitting position and watch with a pounding heart as his rescuer's wings flared open and caught all the incoming bullets before ripping the weapons from the bad guys' hands with a flick of his wrist._

_ "Kid,"_

_ Tsuna jumped and hastily looked up when he realized that the angel-man was talking to him. His eyes widened when he met the stranger's eyes. They were the colour of fire, pretty and dangerous at the same time._

_ He gulped and remembered to reply. "Y- Yes?"_

_ The angel-man tilted his head, orange eyes gleaming in a pale face. "Do you want to live?"_

_ Tsuna goggled at the stranger. Did that matter? Did he... want to live?_

_ He was Dame and bullied, stupid and had no friends, and sometimes, only sometimes, he went to sleep at night, aching with cuts and bumps, and wished he wouldn't wake up in the morning._

_ But he also remembered his mom, who worked hard and took care of him and smiled even on Christmases and birthdays when his dad was supposed to come home but couldn't _again_._

_ His mom who loved him even though he was Dame-Tsuna._

_ He drew in a wobbly breath and whispered, "Yes."_

_ And he must've finally done something right, even though he didn't know what it was, because the angel-man smiled, just for a moment, like he was proud of Tsuna, and then there was nothing except soft black feathers all around him, and all Tsuna felt was safewarmprotected-_

With a gasp, Tsuna shot up in bed, tussled with the blankets tangling his legs, and then fell off the bed with a muffled thump.

"Oww!" He whined, rubbing his head and trying to figure out where he was.

His bedroom. He had just fallen out of bed as he usually did five times a week and sunlight was streaming in through his curtains.

Yesterday rushed back and he narrowly missed banging his head against his desk as he shot to his feet, looking around wildly for the angel-man.

The angel-man had taken care of those bad guys, Tsuna was sure, though he didn't know what his rescuer had done to them. All he had seen were midnight wings as he was picked up and cradled against a warm chest.

And then the angel-man had brought him home, _flown_ him home, just in time for dinner. Tsuna had eaten in a daze, still in shock and too tired to do more than assure his mom that he was fine before stumbling up to bed.

But there was no man with black wings and fire eyes now. Tsuna drooped with disappointment. Of course, why would the angel-man stick around? There was no reason for it now that Tsuna was safe and back home.

"Tsu-kun!" His mom called from downstairs. "I heard a crash – did you fall out of bed again?"

"Y- Yes!" He called back but made no move to do anything other than sink back onto his bed again. "B- But I'm a- awake now!"

He stared gloomily at his hands. There was no school today either – he could sleep in, but all he could think about was the angel-man.

"If you're up, you might as well stay up," A low voice said lazily.

Tsuna froze, and then leapt to his feet again and spun around. That was the angel-man's voice!

But there was no one in his room. Had he imagined it?

"Curtains, kid," The voice spoke up again.

Tsuna twitched and then cautiously approached his curtains and peeked outside.

And there he was – the angel-man settled on a branch of the tree outside, dressed in black pants and a white long-sleeved shirt though there were no wings to be seen at the moment. The brown hair was still the same though, and the eyes still glinted like flames.

_His hair's kinda like mine_, Tsuna thought absently.

Hesitantly, he unlocked his window and opened it, shivering a bit as a gust of wind blew past him.

"U- Um," He started timidly, hunching a bit when the angel-man glanced at him. "H- Hello."

He meant to say thank-you, he really did since he hadn't been able to do it yesterday, but what came out instead was, "Who- Who are you?"

The angel-man didn't answer, leaning back and staring up at the leaves above instead.

Tsuna tried again. "A- Are you a- an angel?"

He started when the angel-man chuckled. It was a nice sound but it wasn't a nice laugh.

Tsuna frowned. Bitter. Sad too. He didn't like it.

"No," The not-angel-man denied. "Not an angel. You ever seen an angel with black wings, kid?"

"I- I've never seen a- any angels before," Tsuna said honestly. This got another laugh but it was happier than the first one. Tsuna was secretly pleased.

"No, I don't suppose you would have," The not-angel-man mused.

A long silence passed until Tsuna began fidgeting and couldn't stay quiet any longer. "A- Are you a- a birdman then?"

The maybe-birdman now looked amused and baffled at the same time. "Birdman? No, I don't think I'm that either."

Tsuna squeaked and fell back, arms wind-milling when his rescuer blurred and suddenly materialized on his windowsill instead, perched on the ledge with an easy grace.

"Whoa," The not-birdman reached out and steadied Tsuna before he could crash to the ground again. "You're a bit clumsy, aren't you?"

Tsuna's shoulders sagged, flushing with embarrassment (_Dame-Tsuna can't even walk right!_), and then he jerked back when a finger flicked his forehead.

"Ouch!" He yelped, more out of surprise than pain.

"I was just stating a fact," The not-birdman said mildly, rocking back on his heels. "There's nothing wrong with being clumsy, though I suppose you'd be safer if you worked on it."

Tsuna slumped miserably. "I- I don't know how. I- I'm always tripping e- everywhere."

"Could try walking for once," The not-birdman suggested. "Even from what little I saw yesterday, you're always running everywhere. Make more time and watch your feet."

Tsuna shuffled in place for a moment. "I- I have to run. The- The bullies d- don't usually..."

He trailed off, ashamed and hurt and uncomfortable all over again.

"All bullies want is attention," The not-birdman revealed. Tsuna slowly looked up into amber eyes again. "You run or plead with them to stop and they'll only continue."

"B- But if I don't," Tsuna protested. "They'll just do it anyway. Th- They take my stuff a- and push me around-"

He faltered, hands fiddling with the hem of his pyjamas. What must his rescuer think of him now? Yesterday with the men and the guns was one thing, but not even able to stand up for himself against bullies was-

Something soft brushed his cheek. Tsuna's head snapped up and he stared in astonishment at the single black feather floating in front of him.

"For protection," The not-birdman promised as Tsuna gently reached out and plucked the feather out of the air. "Until you can take care of yourself."

Tsuna petted the soft strands. It was warm to the touch. "I- I don't know if I can."

"You can," The not-birdman said adamantly. "I will teach you."

Tsuna stared again, wide-eyed. "Why? W- Why did you save me? Why me?"

The not-birdman shrugged elegantly. "I felt like it. Feel like it. You're an interesting kid. You remind me of me when I was a child."

Tsuna gaped. He couldn't imagine anyone less like him. His rescuer was brave and strong with pretty eyes and wings and wasn't scared at all of those bad guys. "Y- You? N- No way!"

"Yes way," The not-birdman nodded. "I was a lot like you when I was young. I'll teach you a few things to get rid of bullies."

"B- But still," Tsuna bit his lip. "Why- You could help someone else. Why would you want to help me?"

His rescuer just watched him with an odd expression for a long minute before reaching forward and patting him on the head.

"I feel like it," He repeated. "Nothing better to do anyway."

The not-birdman cocked his head and opened his mouth to say something more, only to close it again as his gaze slid to the door. A second later, he had tipped backwards, and even as Tsuna rushed forward to look over the windowsill, the stranger had disappeared.

And Tsuna still didn't know who he was, or what he was for that matter.

"Tsu-kun?" Two knocks, and then his mother was standing in the doorway, looking somewhat concerned. "Are you alright? What are you doing standing over there? You could catch a cold."

Tsuna turned, and even as he closed his window, the smile he answered his mother with somehow seemed more real. "I- I'm fine, Kaa-san."

For once, as he carefully tucked the black feather warming his fingers into one pocket, the words actually sounded true in his ears.

**{1}**

Tsuna didn't see the not-angel-man-not-birdman for the next few days, but he did get to see just what the feather could do.

On Monday morning, he triple-checked the black feather in his pocket before setting out for school. He even remembered his rescuer's advice about making more time so he wouldn't have to run, but halfway to school, Tsuna was once again fighting back fear when he turned a corner and spotted his usual bullies up ahead.

They spotted him half a second later.

Or at least, they turned in his direction but made no move to taunt him with his faults or try to steal his lunch or chase him.

Tsuna wavered, and then swallowed hard before crossing the street and hurried past them, keeping his head ducked as he jogged for Namimori Elementary.

He didn't stop until he reached the school gates, gasping for breath with one hand clenched around the feather in his pocket.

They hadn't seen him. None of them had. Did the feather make him invisible?

"Herbivore, all students are to report to their classrooms at once," A dangerous voice said.

Tsuna eeped, shying away from the school prefect who had appeared just inside the school gates. He didn't know how Hibari did it – the boy was only two years older than he was yet all the teachers were perfectly happy to let him run the school when it came to discipline.

Tsuna bobbed his head and shot off towards his classroom. It would be a _really_ scary day if Hibari ever got followers. At least right now, the prefect couldn't be everywhere at once.

The rest of the day was much the same as usual – teachers called on him and scolded him for bad test results and wrong answers while the other students snickered – but at lunch, none of the bullies who normally picked on him seemed to be able to find him, even when one of them passed inches in front of Tsuna as he ate his lunch on the roof.

And as he made his way back to his classroom, he could still feel the warmth radiating from the feather, a comforting glow against his leg.

**{1}**

"Wh- What should I call you?" Tsuna asked when he came home on Wednesday and found, to his delight, his rescuer lounging outside his window again.

His visitor hummed thoughtfully. "What do you want to call me?"

Tsuna puffed out his cheeks as he looked at the fire eyes and thought back to the black wings.

"Tenshi-san!" He said brightly, and pouted when the man snorted.

"I told you, kid, I'm not an angel."

Tsuna huffed. "Well you have wings! S- So if you're not gonna tell me your name, then you're Tenshi-san... or Tori-san!"

His visitor sighed. "'Angel' or 'Bird' – how uncute. You don't have much of an imagination, do you?"

But before Tsuna could defend his ideas, his rescuer shot him a sharp grin – and Tsuna would swear that he caught a glimpse of much sharper teeth – and told him, "But if you insist, you can call me Tenma."

Tenma. Demon. Evil spirit.

The not-angel-man-not-birdman was watching him with glinting orange eyes. "Are you scared?"

Tsuna thought about it for a moment and then shook his head.

Tenma raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Because you saved me," Tsuna said simply, and then added more shyly, "And 'cause you stayed and you talk to me and you helped me with the bullies, s- so that makes you my friend too?"

He winced when he heard the question in his own voice but Tenma only smiled.

"If you want to be, then I guess we are," The demon agreed, and for the first time in years, Tsuna grinned.

Later that night at dinner, Tsuna couldn't help blurting to his mother, "I made a friend!"

His mom visibly perked up, looking hopeful. "Did you, Tsu-kun? That's wonderful! What's they're name? Are they in your class?"

Tsuna flushed, nervously scuffing one foot on the ground. "H- He's older than I am. I- I don't think he's in school anymore. B- But he's really kind! He saved me from bullies! Sometimes, he looks sad too, but he talks to me and he said we could be friends if I wanted to."

There was no point mentioning the men with guns – that would only make his mom worry.

Nana had lowered her bowl of rice and was listening even more closely now. "And what's this person's name?"

Tsuna hesitated, realizing that perhaps telling his mother of befriending a grownup demon wasn't a very good idea, and then told her, "Tenma. He said his name's Tenma."

"Hmm," Nana was suddenly smiling again, warm and cheerful like always. "What a beautiful name."

Tsuna blinked. "Doesn't it mean 'demon'?"

Nana nodded. "Oh yes, it can, but it could also mean 'true sky'."

Tsuna dropped his gaze to his rice bowl.

_Are you scared?_

He wondered if Tenma knew his name's double meaning, and then promised himself that he would tell the demon next time, if only to make his rescuer happier.

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**Please leave a review on your way out.**

**This plot bunny hit me from left field this morning – absolutely no idea where this is going.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

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**General Warnings:** Dimension travel, supernatural, AU, language, violence.

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**Author's Notes:** As mentioned above, this is a dimension travel fic, so Tenma isn't _this_ Tsuna's older self, but a different demon!Tsuna from another 'world'. The circumstances around that will be revealed eventually.

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**Chapter 2**

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"When you get into a fight, what would be your reasons behind it?" Tenma asked as Tsuna clumsily went through one of the katas that the demon had started him on.

Tsuna frowned, and then almost tripped over his feet when his concentration wavered. "I- I don't _want_ t- to fight."

Tenma shrugged, leaning back against the porch doorway. "Sometimes, you won't have much of a choice."

Tsuna made a face. "C- Can't I just run?"

Tenma levelled him with an unreadable look. "You can't run forever."

Tsuna paused at this, glancing uncertainly over at the demon.

It had been four weeks since he had first met Tenma, and three weeks since his mom had come home early from work one day and had managed to catch Tsuna trying to persuade Tenma off their tree, out of the rain, and into the house. Nana had been completely horrified and had all but ordered Tenma inside, bustling the bewildered demon into the bathroom before digging up some of Tsuna's father's clothes while Tenma had taken a hot shower.

And then, somehow or other, Tenma's until-the-rain-stops stay had extended to a much longer one with the demon moving into the guest bedroom after Tsuna's mom had insisted. Of course, Tenma had tried to object and leave (leave where, Tsuna didn't know because as far as he knew, the demon pretty much lived in their tree), but the way Tsuna saw it, it was two against one which meant that the demon had had to stay in the end.

Of course, Tenma had then paid for his stay by taking over some of the housework, walking Tsuna to and from school (something his mother had always been worried about because she didn't have time to do it), and bringing home money from whatever work the demon had managed to find. Nana had assured him that it wasn't necessary but Tsuna knew she was happier because of it – his mother had already dropped one of the two jobs she had been juggling and Tsuna now saw her every day when he came home from school.

Needless to say, he was delighted with the arrangement. It was almost like having an older brother in the house.

At the moment though, Tenma was saying one of those things Tsuna didn't understand, one of those little pieces of advice that he tried to remember even if he didn't fully know what the demon meant – after all, why couldn't he run? If he practiced, he'd be able to run more, and running forever was...

Well, it actually sounded kind of scary, but Tsuna didn't know why. Not to mention it also sounded a bit tiring so he supposed Tenma had a point.

"Th- Then I'd fight and then r- run away?" Tsuna suggested tentatively.

Tenma tilted his head. "If you ever fight, Tsuna, you fight to win. And if you win, there's no need to run away.

"But," The demon pinned him with a sharp gaze. "That's not what I'm asking. When you fight, what would you fight for?"

Tsuna frowned in thought. Something about Tenma's voice made him feel that this was an important question.

"I- I'd fight to- to protect myself?" Tsuna scratched his head. "W- What else w- would I f- fight for? I don't want to h- hurt anyone just because we're fighting."

Tenma's brow furrowed and Tsuna had the feeling that that wasn't the answer the demon had been wanting to hear, but before Tsuna could shrink back into himself for failing something as simple as a mere question, Tenma waved a hand and sat back again.

"I suppose that's good enough for now," The demon said. "Either way, just remember: you don't fight to hurt; you fight to protect. What you protect is up to you. Understand?"

Tsuna nodded. He understood, for the most part. He wasn't sure what he should defend if not himself though.

Tenma hummed and nudged his foot back into position. "Good. Now continue your kata. After that, you're jumping rope."

Tsuna pouted but obeyed. He hated jumping rope – he always tripped after three or four jumps – but Tenma had promised that it would help him become less clumsy.

**{2}**

"I'm home!" Nana called out cheerfully, placing her groceries on the dinner table. When only muffled giggles answered her, she made her way to the backyard. The sight that met her eyes brought a soft smile to her face.

Tsuna was scampering around the backyard, attempting to catch their newest addition to the family in a game of tag. Tenma, light on his feet in a way that she had never seen on another person, danced just out of reach, an amused half-smile on his face as her son chased him around the yard.

_They could be brothers_, Nana thought absently as she leaned against the doorway and watched them play.

Which was perhaps half the reason she had insisted that the young man stay after finding out that he didn't really have a home (Sleeping in their tree? Honestly, Tsu-kun should've invited the poor man in weeks ago!). Somehow, impulsively, and coupled with the gravity-defying brown hair and rather similar features, Nana had invited him into their house at once. There was just something about Tenma that seemed familiar to her and tugged at her maternal instincts.

(And with the exception of the man's eyes – which were an enchanting amber colour that Nana had only ever seen in fires – she secretly thought that Tsuna might grow up to look a lot like Tenma one day, half a head taller than her, kind and helpful, and with an air of grace about him and a confident gait to his step.)

"Your mother's home, kid," Tenma's voice interrupted, and Nana took her cue and stepped outside, opening her arms as her son, more animated than she had seen him in a long time, bounded towards her and tackled her with a hug.

"W- Welcome back, Kaa-san!" Tsuna beamed at her. "H- How was work?"

Nana ruffled his hair. "Not as busy as usual, Tsu-kun. How was your day?"

And then she was listening to her son babble a mile a minute about the workout Tenma had put him through and the math homework that he 'sort of got' and how he had managed to convince Tenma into promising to take them out for sushi tonight.

"You really don't have to, Tenma-kun," Nana said as her houseguest swept past them and began putting the groceries away. "For this and the sushi."

"Least I can do. And it's not all for Tsuna, you know," Tenma smiled, a little sheepish. "I've only had sushi twice in my entire life and the last time was years ago. I wouldn't mind eating it again."

Sushi only twice? But Tenma had to be at least twenty by now! Maybe he lived somewhere else where sushi wasn't common?

Nana nodded determinedly. "Then we'll go out tonight. There's a very good sushi restaurant a few blocks down – we can go there."

Tenma grinned, a startlingly boyish look on the young man. "Thanks, Nana-san. I'd hate to hear Tsuna complain for the rest of the week."

Beside her, Tsuna puffed up indignantly. "I- I would not! Lying is bad, Tenma-san!"

Nana hid a smile behind her hand as Tenma proceeded to tease her son.

She didn't know very much about the young man but she was glad he had appeared anyway.

**{2}**

"Hey, you're Sawada Tsuna, right? From my class at school?"

Tsuna froze, and then glanced meekly over his shoulder at the boy standing a foot away and smiling brightly at him. "U- Um, yeah."

The boy grinned. "I almost didn't recognize you! I'm Yamamoto Takeshi! My dad owns this place. You must not eat sushi here much or I'd have seen you around before."

Tsuna stared wide-eyed at his classmate, not sure what to make of the other boy's easy chatter. He knew Yamamoto; everyone in their grade did – he was friendly with everyone and one of the most popular kids at school, but he'd never talked with Tsuna before.

"I didn't know you had a brother," Yamamoto was saying, and Tsuna automatically glanced at the older man sitting on his right, a slight smile etched on his face.

Tsuna floundered, not sure what to say, and it looked like Tenma was going to be no help whatsoever.

"H- He's not my brother," Tsuna stammered out, but regretted it when Yamamoto's eyes lit up with curiosity. He didn't want to lie but what was he supposed to say? Tenma was a random stranger who just happened to look like Tsuna and was staying with them but wasn't really related? "H- He's..."

"I'm a family friend," Tenma cut in smoothly.

At the same time, Tsuna's mother chimed from his left, "He's my nephew. Tsu-kun's older cousin."

They all blinked and looked at one another for a few bewildered seconds before Tenma smiled winningly and nodded in agreement. "And Nana-san's nephew. I just moved to Namimori recently."

Yamamoto opened his mouth to respond but another voice interrupted from a doorway leading to some stairs. "Yamamoto, come on! You said you had that new video game that just came out? What are you doing?"

"I'm coming!" Yamamoto called back. "Just saying hello to a classmate!"

"Who-? Wait, is that _Dame-Tsuna_?"

Tsuna cringed, face burning with embarrassment as his gaze dropped to the sushi in front of him. Great, not only had Yamamoto's friends caught sight of him, his mother and Tenma were here as well.

"You don't have to waste time saying hi to Dame-Tsuna, Yamamoto! He's-"

Tsuna blinked when the boy who had been jeering at him suddenly fell silent. His head jerked up and he saw that the three students that Yamamoto had invited over were all looking to Tsuna's right, expressions reminding him of the troublemakers at school when they got caught by the teachers or, worse, Hibari.

He looked up as well. He would've flinched if Tenma had been looking at him.

The demon was still smiling but there wasn't a trace of warmth or humour in it. Instead, the chill it emanated made even Tsuna shiver, and the look in Tenma's eyes as he stared back at the three boys was cold and unforgiving. No wonder Yamamoto's friends all looked like they had been turned to stone.

"Oi, Takeshi!" The owner of the restaurant – Yamamoto's father – had come out from the back and was taking in the situation with a faint frown on his face. "Are you bothering the customers? If you're finished down here, take your friends upstairs."

Yamamoto ducked his head and shot an apologetic look in Tsuna's direction before scampering off towards his friends. All three couldn't get away fast enough.

"Sorry about that," The sushi chef came over. "They should know better than to bother people in the restaurant."

Tsuna shrugged a bit and shook his head, glancing again at Tenma. The demon didn't look scary anymore, only neutral as he picked up his chopsticks once more. He looked over at his mother who seemed slightly upset but there was a fond, grateful smile on her face as she peered at Tenma.

"It- It's okay," Tsuna assured the chef for all of them when Yamamoto's father seemed to want a response.

The chef smiled kindly at him but insisted, "Next round of orders' on the house. What would you like?"

Later, when they had paid and were on their way out the door, Tsuna hesitantly stumbled over to Tenma's side and grabbed the demon's hand before his courage could fail him.

Tenma glanced down at him, one eyebrow rising.

"Thanks," Tsuna whispered, and offered an awkward, wobbly smile.

Tenma said nothing, but he didn't pull his hand away as they made their way home, Nana walking on Tsuna's other side with a wide, pleased smile on her face.

**{2}**

"Nephew, Nana-san?"

Nana blushed at the amused look that their newest addition threw at her as they sat at the dinner table enjoying a late cup of tea. Tsuna was already in bed.

"It was the first thing I thought of," Nana admitted sheepishly. "I hope you don't mind me saying but you do look very much like Tsu-kun might in the future."

Tenma shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't mind if you don't mind. I know it would be awkward to explain to the neighbours where I came from. You're already doing a lot by letting me stay here."

Nana waved a hand. "And you're paying back in full. I've certainly been less busy ever since you arrived, and Tsu-kun's very happy with his new big brother."

She hid a smile behind her teacup when Tenma rubbed the back of his neck, a crooked smile on tilting his mouth.

"It's a good thing," Nana added. "I've always wanted Tsu-kun to have a role model."

A flash of something darker flitted across Tenma's expression. "I'm not the best role model for your son, Nana-san."

Nana tilted her head, studying the man sitting across from her. She wasn't the smartest of people, and she always tried to act cheerful and happy in front of her son even if she didn't feel like being either, but she was smart enough to at least notice anyone who wanted to harm her or her son. She'd like to think she was a good judge of character.

(She had only failed once, when it came to the one and only man she had ever loved in her life. Finding a stockpile of guns behind the alcohol cabinet went a long way to shattering the desperate delusions she had of the man.)

And for all that he had appeared out of nowhere, Tenma didn't strike her as someone out to hurt Tsuna or herself.

"Well," Nana smiled warmly at the young man. "Tsu-kun certainly likes having you around. And pretending to be my nephew clears up a lot of confusion."

Tenma smiled again, the darkness nowhere in sight. "If it makes things easier, then that's fine. But anytime you feel that it's time for me to leave-"

Nana shot him a rare stern look. "None of that. I'll see about having some papers drawn up. I'm sure I can dig up a... relative somewhere."

Tenma sighed in resignation but nodded. "I can get the right papers. ...Thank you, Nana-san."

Nana just smiled once more. "You're part of this family now, Tenma-kun. There's no need to thank me."

**{2}**

Tsuna's ears burned whenever the kids at school picked on him but he'd learned to live with it and it didn't bother him as much as it had in the beginning. He was used to being bullied.

However, while Tsuna knew he was Dame and clumsy and hated fighting with people, he wasn't going to stand for anyone saying bad things about the people he cared about either.

"-bet that older brother of yours is Dame too!"

"Dame-Onii-san!"

Tsuna was on his feet before his bullies had stopped laughing. "Y- You take that back!"

Used to Tsuna never standing up for himself, this came as a shock to the other students and all of them fell silent in the face of Tsuna's clenched fists and shaking shoulders.

And then one boy laughed, the one who had taunted Tsuna a few days ago at the restaurant. "Or what? What's _Dame-Tsuna_ going to do about his _Dame-Onii-san_?"

"T- Tenma-san isn't Dame!" Tsuna retorted. "D- Don't talk about my f- family like that!"

"It probably runs in the family," The boy jeered, shoving at Tsuna so that he stumbled back. "Your Dame-Onii-san didn't even say anything to defend you-"

"Y- You were scared of him," Tsuna bit out, anger ringing in his ears and sending a weird feeling of heat spreading throughout his chest. "Tenma-san scared you and he didn't even have to say anything."

The boy's expression darkened and he shoved Tsuna again. Or tried to. Without thinking, Tsuna stepped to the side and pushed clumsily at his classmate's outstretched arm before lashing out with one foot and tripping the boy so that he went down with a surprised shout, hitting the ground with a muffled thump.

Tsuna made to continue the partial kata, out of instinct alone if nothing else, but he stopped when Tenma's words cut through his anger and cleared his head.

_"You don't fight to hurt; you fight to protect."_

Tsuna hastily backed away and took a deep breath. The boy was already down; it would be wrong to continue to do anything to him. Besides, Tsuna didn't exactly want to hurt the boy; he had just wanted to defend Tenma.

He started, mouth dropping open as he finally understood what Tenma had been telling him three days ago.

Tsuna couldn't just protect himself anymore, right? He had to protect his family too. Well, Tenma didn't really need much protecting and he probably wouldn't care what Tsuna's classmates said about him, but he wasn't around at the moment so Tsuna would have to step up instead.

And if any of them said anything about his _mother_...

Tsuna jumped when wailing sobs pierced the air, and his eyes widened in horror as a teacher came running and the boy he had knocked onto the ground accused Tsuna of hitting him.

He'd never gotten into a fight in his life!

**{2}**

Half an hour later, Tsuna sat miserably in the principal's office. He'd tried to explain that the boy had been insulting Tenma – his cousin, he had said firmly since that was what both his mother and Tenma had agreed on – and had shoved him as well.

The teachers were at least willing to believe that Tsuna wasn't the type to go around hitting other people without cause but he was still in trouble for tripping the other boy. It was something Tsuna couldn't understand – he went home with bruises every week since he had been five yet his classmate had started bawling over a fall? Tsuna was pretty sure he hadn't given the boy so much as a scraped knee.

His classmate had already been picked up by his parents, both shooting lofty disapproving looks at Tsuna before taking their leave, and Tsuna was now waiting for his mom to come. They were both being sent home for the day as punishment.

"Tsuna?"

Tsuna's head jerked up and he blinked in surprise when he found Tenma leaning against the doorway of the waiting room, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. "Tenma-san?"

Tenma quirked a smile. "I've already talked to the principal. Ready to go?"

Tsuna slid off his seat and shuffled forward timidly. "I- I'm sorry for getting into a fight."

Tenma didn't seem to be angry though, taking Tsuna's hand and ignoring the blatantly curious stares they were getting from the staff as they made their way out of the school. "Why were you fighting?"

Tsuna huffed. "It- It wasn't even a real fight. He was bullying me like usual and I was just going to ignore him but then he called you Dame-Onii-san and I couldn't just let him! And then he tried to push me and my body sort of moved before I could stop and I tripped him. He didn't even get a bruise!"

He drew in a deep breath as he finished before peering anxiously up at the demon. "A- Are you angry?"

Tenma glanced down at him before a hand came up to ruffle Tsuna's hair. "No, brat. Thanks for defending me."

Tsuna's eyes rounded. "Y- You're not angry? I got in trouble!"

Tenma shrugged, and Tsuna let out a startled squeak when the demon picked him up and swung him around for a piggyback ride. "Sometimes, that's unavoidable. I'm not telling you to go out of your way to pick fights from now on, nor do I need you to defend me every time some idiot insults me, but if you feel like it's necessary – like you have to – do something to protect someone you care about, then go for it."

"Even if it gets me in trouble?" Tsuna asked, arms tightening around Tenma's shoulders as he settled comfortably against the demon.

Tenma nodded, brown hair brushing against Tsuna's cheek. "Even then. You do what you think is right, Tsuna."

Tsuna smiled into Tenma's shoulder and finally relaxed for the first time since lunch.

"Ne, Tenma-san?" Tsuna recalled something the insult that the boy had used. "They called you my Onii-san."

"I suppose they did," Tenma agreed.

Tsuna bit his lip nervously before blurting out, "C- Can I call you that too? I- I mean not Dame-Onii-san of course but..."

He faltered, face turning red. He'd never had anyone to call brother his entire life, but Tenma looked after him and helped him with his homework and was his sort-of-cousin now so-

"Sure," Tenma said cheerfully. "I don't mind."

Tsuna brightened, and he grinned enthusiastically even though Tenma couldn't see it. "T- Tenma-nii then. Or just Nii-san. Okay?"

Tenma laughed, a rare sound all on its own. "Yeah, okay, kid. Whatever you want. Now how about an ice-cream before we go home? To celebrate the fact that you're finally getting the hang of those katas."

Tsuna nodded excitedly. "C- Could I have a chocolate cone? Two scoops?"

"Three extra laps tonight for an extra scoop," Tenma warned.

Tsuna pouted but he loved chocolate and three extra laps didn't sound too bad. "'Kay. But I want sprinkles too."

Tenma shook his head but Tsuna could sense the smile in his voice. "Demanding. Fine, sprinkles it is. And we'll buy one more for your mom to butter her up a bit before you break the news to her."

Tsuna made a face. "Do we have to tell her about my suspension?"

"She'll wonder why you're home an hour early," Tenma pointed out. "Besides, secrets split people apart. It's better not to keep too many."

Tsuna sighed but nodded. He supposed that made sense. "Kaa-san likes vanilla. Let's buy her an extra scoop too; she might need a lot of buttering up."

He didn't really understand but beamed all the same when Tenma laughed again, shoulders shifting with whatever the demon found so funny.

"I suppose she just might," Tenma agreed, and then let Tsuna down when the ice-cream shop came into view.

Tsuna grinned again and began dragging the demon forward. For a suspension from school, it wasn't so bad.

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**Please leave a review on your way out.**

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**Not a lot happening in this chapter but I have to get the ball rolling first.**


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